Coating apparatus



Nov; 6,1934. E. H. MERRITT 1,979,758,-

COATI NG APPARATUS Filed Aug. 19, 1932 INVENTOR Patented Nov. 6, 1934TENT OFFICE UNITED sra'res 1 Claim.

This invention relates to coating apparatus, and more particularly toapparatus adapted for the continuous application of liquid material to asurface of objects such as veneer sheets and the like.

An object of the invention is the provision of apparatus for use in thecontinuous application of liquid materials to surfacesin a particularlyefiicient and effective manner.

A further object is the provision of apparatus whereby the coating ofthe under side of sheets is avoided.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter,-

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope ofthe application of which will be in- 20 dica-ted in the claim.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the inventionreference should be had to the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

' Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of one form of apparatusembodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view, taken from above, showing theactive run ofthe conveyor means, with veneer sheets carried thereon;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional-view, illustrating a modified form ofapparatus; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of the form of belt construction shown inFig. 1.

In the application of liquid material to veneer sheets for the purposeof providing an adhesive material, for assisting in the use of adhesivematerial otherwise applied, for providing a coating on the surface ofthe sheets, or for other purposes, 40 the operator is faced withproblems inherent in the necessity of running sheets more or less spacedfrom one another, and of using sheets of difierent widths in successive,continuously conducted operations. i

There is accordingly a considerable amount of glue or other liquiddeposited on the conveyor elements either between the ends of the sheetsor at points beyond the sides of the smaller sheets. Obviously, it isundesirable that sticky or corrobelts should bedcposited on theunderside of a sheet carried by those portions of the belt whenthey'again come around to sheet-moving position.

With the foregoing and other considerations inv view, the presentinvention contemplates the prosive liquids which are sprayed on portionsof the vision in connection with spraying mechanism of conveying meansof such character that a multiple point support isprovided for, thesheets; and, in certain of its more specific aspects,-likewisecontemplates the provision of recovery meansfor 50 the liquid and ofcleaning means for the belts.

Inthe form of apparatus exemplified in Fig. 1, there is provided aspraying mechanism 10. which may be of the type which reciprocates fromthereunder and which is adapted to eject a spray downwardly on the saidpath. Beneath the spraying mechanism is a conveyor means 11 comprising aplurality of belts 12 mounted on a roller 13'and a roller 14 which. maybesuitably power w driven. Each of the belts 12 is provided with avsupporting portion comprising a plurality of points 15, so that anyliquid carried by the portions of the belts moving into active positioncan not be transferred to any material area on the bottom of the sheetscarried thereby. At about the centre of the inactive run of the belts,there is provided an idler roll 16, whereby the beltsare held in acleaning bath 17 fora portion of their run. In order to clean the beltswith particular effectiveness, there is provided in the present insideto side of thepath of movement of sheets 55 stance a fluid-ejectingmeans 18 whereby asp ray of fluid which may be either gaseous or liquid,but which is preferably a liquid, such as'water, is ejected upon each ofthe belts. In order to catch the liquid sprayed, there is provided'a'baflie means, which in the present'instanceis provided by thesurface ofthe roller l3, anda receiving trough, which in the present instance isprovided by a portion of a, container 20 for the bath 17. Beneath thatportion of the active run of the belts 12 toward which the sprayisdirected by the spraying mechanism 10, there is provided a recoverycatch basin 21 which, as will be noted-(Fig. 2) extends out on eitherside beyond the outermost belts 12. From the catch basin 21, a returnpipe 22 leads to a reservoir which may be suitably connected with thespraying mechanism 10.

In the exemplified construction, there is'prom9 vided a deliveryconveyor 23, whereby the sheets may be brought to the conveying means11, and a removal conveyor 24, whereby coated objects may be taken awayfor succeeding operations.

In order to transfer the sheets evenly and smooth- 1% ly onto the pointscarried by the belts 12-, there is provided a supporting means 25,formed with depressed end portions and disposed between the conveyormeans 23 and the conveyor means 11. Similarly, there is provided betweenthe con- 2 veyor means 11 and the conveyor means 24, a supporting means26 having depressed end portions.

As will be understood, the cleaning means may consist of one or morebaths, one or more fluidejecting means, or any suitable combination ofsuch elements. In Fig. 3, there is shown an arrangement wherein thecleaning bath is eliminated, but wherein there is utilized a. pair 01liquid-ejecting means 180 and 18b acting on the belts at a point wherethey are free from the roller 13. In this instance, there is providedcatch means comprising a baflie 2'1 and a reception trough 28.

In Figs. 4 and 5, there is exemplified in detail one form of beltconstruction adapted i'or use in accordance with the invention. A rubberstrand 29 which in cross section is a truncated inverted triangle, hasdriven therein a plurality of spikes 30 having upwardly projectingpoints 15a.

It will accordingly be seen that there is provided an arrangementwhereby the coating of objects may be accomplished-with anextraordinarily high degree of ei'iiciency and in a manner wherein theuncoated surfaces of the objects are preserved in substantially theiroriginal state, and that this is accomplished without material loss ofthe spraying liquid.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction anddifferent embodiments of the invention could be made without departingfrom the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in theabove description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is:

Coating apparatus, comprising material-applying mechanism and endlessconveyor means for moving objects under said applying mechanism, saidconveyor means including a plurality of rubber strands having aplurality of outwardly extending spikes mounted thereon at suflicientlyclose intervals so that the object will be supported by a multiplicityof spikes.

ERICSSON H. MERRITT.

